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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. tear — to rip
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. tear — from crying
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. club — for golf
  7. clip — a video
  8. file — a document
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. clip — for paper
  12. net — for catching
  13. clip — to cut
  14. club — for dancing
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. file — a tool
  17. tear — from crying
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. file — a line of people
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. club — a group
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. net — after costs
  24. hide — animal skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com